Sweet, spicy, and moderately spicy purple onions and their varieties

Purple (the correct name is red) onion occupies a special place among the onion variety, distinguished by its unusual attractive color, mild taste and aroma. What is the use of lilac onions, what are its advantages and disadvantages, especially the cultivation and care? We will talk about this in detail.

Description

Purple onion is a perennial herb... All parts of it, except for the roots and husks, are edible. It has no external differences from other plants of the genus, with the exception of the unusual color of the underground part - the bulb.

Such onions are used mainly fresh. - in salads, side dishes, and also as an independent snack. And here during heat treatment it loses its color and taste and gives the dish an ugly bluish tint.

Bulb characteristics, appearance, taste

The purple onion is medium (50-100 g) or large (over 100 g) in size and consists of white-lilac juicy scales with a pleasant crunchy structure. The single-layer membranes between the scales are colored red-violet. The color of the husk is red, burgundy, purple, blue and almost black shades.

The taste of lettuce onions depends on the variety, with a distinction between sweet, semi-sharp and spicy varieties... However, even in pungent varieties, the onion pulp has a milder flavor and aroma compared to the yellow onion.

Origin and development

According to one version, a sharp-sharp purple onion was brought to Russia in the 19th century from Spain. or Portugal, from the island of Madeira. And only the long-term work of Russian breeders made it possible to rid the vegetable of bitterness and give it a pleasant sweetness.

According to another version, the homeland of red onions is Central Asia, and work to improve its taste was carried out in the Crimea.

Benefit and harm

Purple onions are salad varieties with a pleasant taste and a dull aroma.The highest concentration of essential vitamins and minerals is concentrated in the uppermost layers of the onion.

Salad Onions Contain Many Antioxidants, which contribute to the rejuvenation of the body and the restoration of tissue cells, as well as anthocyanin, which resists inflammation and strengthens the immune system.

The flavonoid vitamin compound quercetin imparts to purple onions antitumor and antiallergic properties, and the cysteine ​​contained in it removes toxins, inhibits the formation of cholesterol plaques, and normalizes blood sugar levels.

The vegetable is widely used in cosmetology for rejuvenating and regenerating masks, as a remedy for hair loss.

Red onions promote weight loss by removing toxins, accelerating metabolism, splitting fats, normalizing digestion, relieving edema.

Among the contraindications to use - gastrointestinal diseases (gastritis, pancreatitis, colitis), hypertension and asthma.

Chemical composition

Vegetable pulp contains:

• vitamins C, E, P, group B;
• glucose, sucrose, maltose, fructose, nitrogenous substances, carotene, nicotinic acid, essential oils;
• minerals: potassium, magnesium, zinc, bromine, chromium, iodine, calcium, iron, selenium.

The nutritional value: 42 kcal per 100 g of product.

BZHU content:

• proteins - 1.4 g;
• fats - 0 g;
• carbohydrates - 9.1 g.

Sugar content:

• in spicy onions - 9%;
• in the peninsula - 7-8%;
• in sweet - 6%.

Ripening period

The ripening period of purple onions depends on the variety and climatic conditions and is:

• early ripening varieties - 90-100 days;
• in mid-season - 100-120 days;
• in late maturing - more than 120 days.

Almost all spicy varieties of purple onions are early ripening. Sweet and semi-sharp varieties - to mid and late ripening.

Yield

Red onions are highly productive: 100 seeds (about 0.4 g) after ripening yield more than 11 kg of onions.

The best varieties reach 7.5 kg per 1 m² of area (Red Bombay variety), the average yield is 1.5-3.5 kg per 1 m² of beds.

Spicy onions are less productive, and the highest yield is given by sweet varieties.

Disease resistance

Purple varieties are resistant to characteristic onion diseases and pests.

Moreover, most varieties acquire such resistance during primary seed treatment and appropriate soil preparation.

Purple onion varieties

Among the many varieties of purple onions the most common are the following:

1. Aleko in the context has a blue tint, matures in 10-12 weeks. Suitable for all climatic conditions, grown in soil, in greenhouses or by seedlings.
2. Alvina - large red onion. Stored for more than six months, planted with seedlings.
3. Crimson ball (photo on the right) has a round shape with a dark lilac color and a semi-sharp taste. Matures in 12-16 weeks, planted in seedlings (with a bitter taste) or in a greenhouse (sweeter). Does not like shade and moisture, can be stored for up to 4 months.
4. Bombay (Red Bombay) - mid-season variety with large dark red bulbs (150 g). Ripens in 130-140 days, has a high yield, is well stored.
5. Brunswick - early ripe variety with bright purple hulls and juicy pink onion pulp. The diameter of the flat-round bulbs is 6 cm. It has a high yield and good keeping quality.
6. Greatful ripens in 110-115 days, differs in uniform fruits, is stored for a long time.
7. Danilovsky 301 - a selection variety of rich purple color with large bulbs (from 150 g). It has a sweet semi-sharp taste, resistant to certain diseases, well stored, easily transported.
8. Campillo F1 - a juicy hybrid with a delicate structure and a mild spicy-sweet taste. It has large, even bulbs of purple color, ripens in 4 months. It is resistant to a number of diseases and can be stored well.
9. Carmen cultivated in various climatic zones, matures in 65-90 days. It has a rich purple-dark red hue, gives good feathery greens (up to 30 cm).
10. Commissioner - purple giant onion with a sweet taste. Stored from 6 months.
11. Red braunschweig has a purple husk and a slightly pungent taste. It grows in 70-100 days from seedlings or seeds, disease resistant.
12. Orion grows well in the northern regions, has a regular rounded purple color. Head weight - 150-200 g.
13. Red Baron (photo on the right) - a productive variety. Differs in dark red color of scales and small size of heads (about 90-110 g). Has a sweet-semi-sharp refined taste, ripens in 90-95 days, planted with sevka or seeds. Gives good greens (feather), frost-resistant, easily tolerates transportation.
14. Red Semko F1 - an early ripe hybrid. Matures in 70-75 days. The taste is semi-sharp, the bulbs are large (from 100 to 200 g).
15. Retro yields a harvest for 90 days. The bulbs are large, red in color, flattened, the taste is sweet.
16. Black Prince - a fruitful breeding species, rounded and purple in color, has a bittersweet taste.Matures in 3-3.5 months, easily tolerates transportation, can be stored for a long time.
17. Yukont - a semi-sharp variety. It grows only in the southern regions and the middle lane, it has good keeping quality.
18. Yalta has a purple color, flattened shape and large heads (200 g), has a sweet taste. The ripening period is 135-150 days. Capricious, grows only in the southern regions, requires specialized fertilizers. Stored up to 4 months.

Growing regions and climate requirements

Sharp and semi-sharp varieties are grown almost everywhere... In northern regions with short and cool summers, early ripening varieties ripen well, and the middle strip is more suitable for mid-season varieties, although early varieties also ripen.

However the best yield and taste of blue onions are given by the southern sun and a warm climate.

Advantages and disadvantages

Most varieties of lilac onions have a salad purpose., which determines their advantages and disadvantages.

Difference from other varieties

Purple onions don't have too many distinctive features., but they favorably distinguish it among white and yellow relatives.

Such a bow has:

1. Attractive appearance... The red-purple hues of the vegetable serve as a decoration for many dishes.
2. Delicate taste - rich gustatory palette, poorly expressed pungency, juiciness.
3. Weak aroma... Red onions do not cause tearing when cut.
4. Beneficial features - high content of vitamins and minerals.

Disadvantages of red onions:

• short shelf life - mostly no more than 2-4 months;
• inconvenient landing method;
• loss of useful properties during heat treatment;
• higher price compared to yellow bulbs.

Features of planting and growing

Salad red onions are grown in one of three ways: seedlings, onion sets or seeds (including direct sowing). The best harvest is obtained in sunny, well-watered areas.

Variety selection

To determine the type of onion, study:

• their features;
• exactingness to conditions;
• landing nuances;
• correspondence of the conditions of culture growth to the climate of the region

It is advisable to choose several different varietiesto avoid crop failure.

Ground requirements

To obtain a high-quality harvest of purple onions on the ground or in greenhouses, you need:

• in the fall, loosen the beds, add humus or compost;
• in the spring, dig up the soil twice with a pitchfork and remove all the roots.

Planting onions is best in the garden where they grew last season cabbage, cucumbers, legumes, potatoes, or beets. Carrots will become a good neighbor for onions - these two crops scare away pests (onion and carrot flies) from each other.

The place is chosen well lit, rainwater should not stagnate between the rows.

Purple onions prefer sandy or loamy soil fine lumpy structure with well-rotted compost.

The soil for seedlings is prepared from humus, turf and mullein (9: 10: 1) with a neutral reaction.

Preparing for landing

Seeds are planted in late February - early March in the chosen wayconsidering the following factors:

1. Seed-grown onions are resistant to diseases and pest attacks, but they take longer to grow and germinate later.
2. Onion sets are susceptible to disease, but grow much earlier and are easier to plant than seeds.
3. Seedlings are chosen when planting is small or when large bulbs are needed.

Seed

For cultivation, fresh seeds are required, which before sowing:

• soaked in clean water for 2-3 hours;
• transferred to a damp cloth for 3-4 days;
• disinfected for 8 hours in a strong solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 1 liter of water) at a temperature of about 40 ° C.

Seeds are sown in prepared soil.

Sevka

Many gardeners grow red onions in two years.... In the first year, the seeds are germinated and brought to the state of onion sets, which are dried and stored until spring.The next year, the bulbs are planted in the ground in a permanent place and by the end of July they harvest.

Seedlings

In early - mid-March, the selected seeds are soaked in clean water (2 to 8 hours) with the addition of a growth stimulant (sodium humate), disinfected, planted in boxes with prepared soil and left at room temperature.

Timing, scheme and landing rules

In warm regions, planting directly into the ground is possible, in regions with a more severe climate, seedlings are needed.

Landing in the ground

2 weeks before sowing, the garden bed is covered with a transparent film and provide maximum access to the sun's rays so that the earth warms up faster.

In late April - early May, seeds are treated or disinfected (20 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or boric acid, followed by rinsing with clean water) to protect against infection and decay.

Seeds are planted along the bed at a distance of 15 cm from each other to a depth of 1-1.5 cm.

Low soil temperature (+ 7 ... + 10 ° С) leads to later emergence of sprouts.

Important! Planting time will be significantly reduced if the seeds are glued on narrow strips of paper at a distance of 3 cm from each other at home in advance. In this case, in the spring, paper with grains is laid out on the beds and sprinkled with earth on top.

After sowing, the beds are covered with a 1.5 cm layer of mulch from humus or peat and covered with a light non-woven material for a month, which will keep warm and moisture and accelerate seed germination.

Planting seedlings

First, prepare the container for seedlings: in each container, drainage is made from small pebbles or disinfected expanded clay and peat mixed with garden soil is spread on top.

Selected seeds are soaked overnight in water with the addition of a growth stimulant, slightly dry, spread evenly on the prepared ground, sprinkle with a wet layer of soil 0.5 cm thick.

Before the first shoots (5-8 days), the containers are covered with glass or placed in plastic bags to maintain moisture and stored at a temperature of about + 22 ... + 27 ° C.

After the sprouts appear, the shelter is removed, spray the seedlings with warm water and put them in a cooler place (+ 10 ... + 13 ° С). Water and fertilize periodically.

Seedlings are planted in the ground after 50-60 days in early May: in warm regions - directly into the open ground, in the rest - in greenhouses or under shelters (film), which are removed at high temperatures.

Before transplanting, the seedlings are watered abundantly., and to increase the survival rate, the roots and leaves are cut off by a third of the length.

The nuances of care

When growing red onions during the season, the feather is not cut.as this prevents the development of large bulbs.

Watering mode

Throughout the growing season, onions are watered abundantly daily... An insufficient amount of moisture leads to the growth of feathers and the cessation of the formation of bulbs, and an excess of moisture leads to fungal diseases.

By August, daily watering is replaced with watering once a week, which prevents the bulbs from soaking and rotting and lengthens the storage period.

Loosening the soil, weeding and feeding

In the spring, the soil is gently loosened with a rake... In the future, shallow loosening of the row spacings is carried out until the stems of the plant are closed.

Planting is fed during the entire ripening period:

1. First feeding (slurry diluted with water 1:10) is carried out 2-3 weeks after planting. Consumption - 1 bucket per 2 m².
2. Second feeding (wood ash - 0.5 liters per row) is carried out during the formation of bulbs - at the end of June.

Once in May and twice in June, the onion is watered with an aqueous solution of mineral fertilizers low concentration (20 g of the drug per bucket of water).

Disease and pest control

Properly prepared purple onions are not afraid of pests and practically does not get sick.

Nevertheless, in late June - early July, it is advisable to sprinkle the beds with makhorka for added protection against onion flies.

Growing difficulties

When growing purple onions face the following difficulties:

1. It is difficult to get a sweet taste in a summer cottage. Onions planted in normal fertile soil take on a bitter taste.
2. Seedlings must be carefully looked after.
3. Purple onions have a high demand for watering and heat when growing in open field.

Harvesting and storage

Benefits of purple onions - high yield, good keeping quality of sharp varieties, large heads.

How and when to collect

A sign of the maturity of the bulbs and their readiness for harvesting are yellowed leaves that have fallen to the ground. (feathers), as well as a dry top layer of husk, which easily comes off and crunches when squeezed.

In the southern regions, onions are harvested on a warm and sunny day. in late July - early August, in the north - 2-3 weeks later.

Watering is stopped 10-14 days before harvest and install rain protection.

Dig up the bulbs with a pitchfork, manually cleaned of the earth and left to soak in the sun for 2 weeks.

Assembled in bad weather onions are placed to dry in a ventilated area for 4 weeks.

Dried onions are cut, leaving a tail 10-15 cm long and roots up to 5 cm.

Storage features and keeping quality

The onion crop is thoroughly driedto avoid rotting.

A large crop is poured with wood shavings and stored in cardboard or wooden ventilated boxes (boxes) in a dry, cool place with good ventilation. Medium and small quantities are stored in nets (including nylon tights), wicker baskets or hanging the bulbs on special hooks.

At home, onions are stored in a ventilated dry room., on a glazed balcony or in the refrigerator.

Optimal storage conditions for onions:

• humidity - 60%;
• air temperature - + 5 ... + 18 ° С.

At least once a month, the onion is sorted out and the spoiled specimens are removed from the general containerto avoid damaging the rest of the crop.

Tips from experienced gardeners

Tips for faster, better growing purple onions:

• it is convenient to plant seedlings in liter boxes from under the juice;
• Bulbs purchased on the market must be firm and firm, with a dry top, juicy and fleshy pulp.

Reviews of purple onions

Purple onions are the favorite of many gardeners.

Maria, Moscow: “I really love this bow. It is not only delicious, but also very decorates salads. But I would not call it sweet, not at all. It bites like that! "

Elena, Lugansk: "Dutch selection Carmen - unsweetened variety, looks great in conservation, under the right conditions can be stored for up to 8 months".

Anatoly, Naryan-Mar: “I grow Red Baron onions in the Far North. It has a not very pungent taste, satisfactory keeping quality ".

Conclusion

Growing processes for red or yellow varieties are practically the same. The main thing is to choose the right variety and provide the necessary conditions depending on the region. In the south, you can get a large harvest of almost any red bulbs, in cold areas - mostly spicy and peninsular varieties.